Part 1 - When in Dubai, of course eat at McDonalds
DUBAI, UAE - Sunday, February 27, 2011, 8:42 PM
Every time I travel abroad, I realize what a stereotypical American I really am. Upon landing in Dubai, after 15-hours in the plane, I step into an airport and find myself magnetically pulled into the nearest McDonalds. I dont even like McDonalds, yet the comforts of home always seem to call to me when Im traveling internationally.
In 7 hours, I will be stepping on a plane again to fly to my final destination, Hyderabad, India. The Indian School of Business (ISB) has invited Beat The GMAT along with a small group of visitors to check out their Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) for the next 3 days (despite the different name, PGP is ISBs MBA programI refer to this program as PGP and/or MBA in future posts/videos). The agenda looks pretty awesome. It includes: a school tour, class visit, student/faculty meet ups, and Indian industry visits.
Some quick facts about the ISB Post Graduate Programme in Management:
- Based in Hyderabad, India
- One-year full-time MBA program
- 12th ranked global MBA program, according to the Financial Times
- Average GMAT score of applicants: 717
- Number of students in Class of 2011: 570
- % of students finding jobs upon graduation: 100%
I will be documenting my entire ISB trip in a series of blog entries, which will be released in a multi-part series over the next several days.
So why should we care about ISB? That is the question I hope to answer during this visit. Ive been running the Beat The GMAT community for almost six years now, and Im embarrassed to say that I know very little about this MBA program. ISB seems to have shot out of nowhere to emerge as a top-tier business school in just the last few years.
As a stereotypical American, I find myself favoring all things American. But Ive accepted that this will likely be the century of emerging economies like China and India. If you are a businessman or businesswoman serious about working with or living in an emerging economy, then it could make sense to do your MBA in that country as well. No doubt, having a great American/European MBA brand on your resume can take you far, but theres something to be said about being in the place you want to work to network, experience the culture, and build your local awareness of how business works there.
Should you go to ISB over Harvard, Stanford, or any other top US/European business school? Thats the question I hope to answer in the next three days. I hope you continue to follow me in this journey!
Now, time to focus on my 6-piece McNuggets Extra Value Meal